Canon finally announces the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera, the successor to the EOS 5D. The Mark II has a newly designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO setting up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. Canon’s DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver images at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames. HD video capture allows you to shoot uninterrupted at 1080p resolution at 30fps.

The 5D Mark II will be available in November for $2699 (only body) or kit version with the EF 24-105mm f/4L zoom lens for $3499.
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Canon Inc. today announced the development of Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC), a new coating technology for camera lenses that minimizes ghosting and flare caused by reflected light. SWC is used in Canon’s concurrently announced large-diameter, wide-angle EF24mm F/1.4L II USM lens for EOS-series SLR cameras.

Reflections are caused by large changes in the refractive index of light at the glass-air boundary on the surface of a lens. To date, efforts to take advantage of light interference and minimize reflections have consisted of applying a thin film of coating onto the lens surface, but this approach can fail to provide adequate protection depending on factors like the light’s angle of incidence, and sometimes leads to ghosting and flare.

Canon’s new special SWC coating, a type of anti-reflection technology, minimizes reflections by aligning countless wedge-shaped structures more minute than the wavelength of visible light on the surface of a camera lens.

These wedges continuously change the refractive index of light at the glass-air boundary of the lens, thereby eliminating the boundary where the index undergoes large changes. This lack of large change in the refractive index drastically reduces reflections. SWC therefore realizes superior anti-reflective capabilities in environments where previous coating technologies could not, particularly in situations involving light with a large angle of incidence.

Utilizing SWC technology on large-curvature lens elements, which are mainly found in wide-angle lenses, will significantly minimize the occurrence of ghosting and flare caused by reflected light in environments that have posed problems in the past.

Canon will offer high-performance lenses that deliver excellent image quality by actively incorporating SWC technology in future lenses, especially those containing large-curvature lens elements.

Carl Zeiss is expanding its line of SLR lenses: ZE lenses with EF bayonet for all analog and digital EOS camera models.

As with all EF lenses, the new ZE lenses from Carl Zeiss transfer all information exclusively via electronic contacts. This means that all exposure modes such as programmed auto exposure, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual setting are supported. The camera’s automatic focus confirmation also remains available to an unlimited extent with these manual focus lenses. With digital SLRs, the lens data and all exposure data can also be accessed via the camera’s EXIF file format.

Even E-TTL flash metering is supported. The first lenses to be available will be the Planar T* 1.4/50 ZE and the Planar T* 1.4/85 ZE in the last quarter of this year. Further focal lengths will be added to the line within the next few months.

Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Boxed Set, Volumes 1 and 2 (Includes The Digital Photography Book Volume 1 and The Digital Photography Book Volume 2) will be released on September 28, 2008.

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Nikon Corporation (Michio Kariya, President) is pleased to announce that it is conducting the Nikon Field Photographer Program, which offers families throughout Asia a chance to snap photographs on the field before the start of games during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian final qualifiers and the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2008. These games are being held in various regions of Asia by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) from September 2008.

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